Vote of confidence

Bahrain’s business scene received a major boost of confidence with the show of enthusiasm displayed at the Middle East Oil and Gas Show and Conference (MEOS).

The event attracted industry representatives from more than 30 nations. The March-scheduled show, postponed as a result of the political unrest which gripped the nation, was the first major international exhibition to take place since.

Dispelling rumours of a further postponement, the major oil expo that attracts multi-national oil giants as well as local companies, investors, professionals and academics, went ahead last week with aplomb attracting record-attendances of 7,000-plus delegates, visitors and exhibitors.

The celebratory mood extended from the overflowing parking lots decorated with colourful flags at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre (BIECC) to the delight expressed by Bahraini businessmen, who have been facing a dry period since early this year.

Sonjoy Monteiro, general manger, Unicom Graphics, who has been doing business in the kingdom for 16 years, said he was ‘thrilled’. He explained: “Business was bad and we were just waiting for this break. We are very thrilled and grateful to the organisers. It was important to beat the negativity and squash the rumours. Bahrain needs these kinds of exhibitions. I hope this is just the beginning and it will open up the floodgates.”

Paul Mitchell, business development manager at Gulf Strategic Partners, a multi-national petrochemical company with a presence in Bahrain, echoed the sentiment saying: “The mood has been very upbeat ... we have received many enquiries. Things are looking very promising.

“I think it is very refreshing to see that there is a lot of interest. Prior to coming here I was not sure of what to expect but it is nice to see people coming back to do business. It shows that more people are willing to put the past behind them and try to bring things back to where they were before.”

Support for the exhibition came from many quarters. There were close to 850 representatives from Saudi Aramco and high school science students and teachers from local schools and universities pitched in to learn more about energy and oil exploration from the professionals.

Some of the first-time exhibitors remained undeterred despite traffic delays and logistical problems resulting from the original postponement. Middle East sales manager Safyan Ali, of the Canadian firm Guardian Telecom, came from Dubai. He said: “It’s our first time as an exhibitor here. It is a good, busy exhibition and we are really enjoying the atmosphere. We have had a couple of enquiries and have received good feedback.
 
 “We faced a few problems on Friday and were stuck in traffic for more than five hours. Even the road leading to the exhibition hall was closed. But from the very next day everything was calm and cool. I would love to come back again.”

Popular among the visitors was the Halliburton stand manned by Americans who flew in from Houston. Tessy Phillips, director real time solutions, said: “It was my first time but Halliburton has been a regular supporter. We came to take the opportunity to let the oil and gas companies in this part of the world know that we are commercialising an internal product. This was a great opportunity to come and interact with like-minded people.”

Networking was definitely on everyone’s agenda including human resource professionals who came to talk about the all-important topic of employee retention. Melanie Steiman, professional development adviser from ARAMCO, who is familiar with Bahrain, said: “I come here once every five weeks to get my hair cut! They had to delay the expo but I don’t think it has hurt the exhibition. Bahrain is going to be OK and this is one indication that it will be.”

Another regular visitor Mohammed A Meghani, a business consultant from Kuwait, said he had achieved his main purposes of attending technical sessions, witnessing new technology and networking with Bahraini, South East Asian and European companies.

However, the happiest person at the expo was Fawzi S Al Shehabi, director of sales and marketing of Arabian Exhibition Management, the organisers of the show. He said: “This has been good for us and Bahrain. I think the confidence is back but if it wasn’t for the support of Saudi Aramco, Kuwait and the national oil companies this would not have been possible.

“I think this was a test for us and it has been a success. I believe the Jewellery Arabia will go ahead as scheduled. Slowly and gradually we will get back to normal. Hotels are full and taxi drivers are happy!”